File Cabinet

Bcickground

A file cabinet is a piece of office furniture characterized by drawers
that hold papers in vertically placed folders. While such cabinets are
mainly used to store documents, they also facilitate organizing, removing,
and using such documents.

Since the earliest use of written records, it has been necessary to
organize and store information. Ancient methods of filing included clay
tablets that were kept in libraries, and leather or papyrus scrolls that
were sealed in stone or earthenware vessels. Other filing methods
developed later. Sometimes records were simply kept on shelves. During the
late Middle Ages, clerks used spindle files. These
implements—basically sharp sticks attached to
bases—resembled the metal prongs on which today's small
businesses might save receipts. Pigeonhole filing, in which bundles of
papers were placed on shelves segmented into discrete cubicles, became
appropriate for small scale, immediate access filing. In contrast, records
not in daily use could be stored in boxes or trunks. People could also use
a letterpress to copy receipts and letters into a copybook, and a
strongbox to save valuable documents.

To meet the demands of growing businesses during the late 1800s, several
methods of filing were developed, among them the bellows, box, and Shannon
files. These devices were noted to organize material, either
chronologically or alphabetically, in small containers that could be
easily opened. In 1868 the first cabinet equipped with drawers became
available, but because the papers were laid flat, retrieval was
cumbersome.

Vertical files were introduced at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
Dr. Nathaniel S. Rosenau is credited with the idea, taken from the already
existent vertical method of filing cards. Vertical files are the familiar
file cabinets of today. The earliest models were made from wood, but these
were gradually replaced by steel vertical files in the twentieth century.
While file cabinets are so common and well-known that they are often
considered the only or best way to file records, records management
experts generally agree that vertical files are useful only for small
offices or household records.

Other systems include shorter, wider, vertical files; open shelf files
(similar to bookcases); and electronically controlled systems. In the
1940s, the first motorized rotary card file system was invented. Motorized
letter-size files soon followed, and a mechanized, horizontal, large wheel
version becoming available during the 1950s. In the ensuing decade,
prompted by the growing demand for large vertical or open shelf files, a
system was developed by which pushing a button could bring a shelf or
drawer to eye level. Card files of the time used a system of punched
cards: when the appropriate code was punched in, the desired file card
would emerge. More recently, electro-optical scanning has made it possible
to use scanners to find properly coded folders.

Raw Materials

A typical file cabinet consists of a case whose parts are uniformly made
of 18-gauge steel; the bottom of the case may or may not be enclosed.
Although some file cabinet cases, usually those produced for individual
consumers, are made from oak, steel remains by

After being die-cut or stamped to the proper size, the steel
components are pointed in an electrostatic process. The paint in the
paint gun is given a positive charge, while the cabinet part is given
a negative charge. The opposite charges cause the paint to adhere
evenly to the cabinet surface.
After painting, the components are welded together in a process known
as spot welding. One electrode is placed on each part, and an electric
current is passed between them. The heat generated by the current
fuses the parts together.

far the most common material used for business file cabinets. Like the
case, the compressor (the adjustable mechanism that moves back or forward
to hold upright a larger or smaller number of files) is also made from
steel, and both are usually painted. To ensure a lasting finish, a special
epoxy paint is applied electrostatically. Epoxy
paint
is based on a synthetic resin whose strength derives from condensation
polymers, molecules that form tight chains during the condensation
process. Electrostatic painting entails applying paint with one charge to
an object with the opposite charge; the difference in charges causes the
paint to adhere tightly to the object. The cabinet's accessories
include handles and card label holders, both of which are likely to be
made from anodized aluminum. The sliding mechanism and
ball bearings
are usually steel, while the rollers are usually made from high density
nylon.

Some file cabinets are built to be fireproof. Such cabinets are heavier
because their walls are built with special encapsulated chambers filled
with vermiculite (a lightweight, highly water-absorbent clay mineral) and
several gallons of water. When the file cabinet is heated by the presence
of fire, the vermiculite melts and the water turns into steam, thereby
accepting the heat and keeping the documents cool.

The Manufacturing
Process

Preparing the steel components

1 The 18-gauge steel from which most components of a file cabinet are
made is bought in large quantities. It can reach the factory in coils
11.8 to 15.7 inches (.3 to. 4 meter) wide, or, for larger components
such as the walls of the file cabinet, in sheets of several sizes: 9.8
by 12 feet or 8 by 9.8 feet (3 by 3.66 meters or 2.44 by 3 meters).

2 To make small components such as compressors, a ribbon of steel from a
coil is rolled onto a machine that cuts it with a die. To make shelves
or dividers, the coils are unrolled and stamped in a press. To make the
sides, top, and bottom of the file cabinet, the large sheets of steel
are cut to size. Stronger portions of the cabinets, such as gussets,
ribs, and end panels, are made simply by folding the steel one, two, or
three times, depending on how much strength is desired, and pounding it
to form thick, layered parts.

Painting the components

3 Two assembly lines, one for large parts, and the other for small
parts, are set up for painting. To produce a superb finish, conventional

A completed vertical file cabinet includes a compressor, a sliding
mechanism, and a handle for each drawer. A quality cabinet will
resist rust, drops, and impact.

or, more often, epoxy paints are used in an electrostatic gun. This
effective method disperses the paint in powdered form, yielding only one
percent waste. Electrostatic painting works best in a vacuum, so a
23-inch (58-centimeter) area around the object to be painted is cleared.
An aluminum wire runs from the paint gun to the cabinet in order to
ground it. While the paint is given a positive charge, the component to
be painted receives a negative charge. The gun then sends the paint out
through a small, cupped head that rotates to cover all surfaces, even
those that are not flat, evenly. After spraying, the parts are heated to
secure the paint. The strong bond that forms between the differently
charged paint and part results in a durable finish.

Welding the cabinet components

4 After being painted, the top, bottom, and sides of the cabinet are
welded together. The parts are held steady in a jig, a device that
resembles a vise. File cabinets are spot welded, meaning that welds are
made at regular intervals between two overlapping sheets of metal.
During spot welding a low-voltage, high-current power source with two
electrodes, one on each side of the joint, is placed on a spot, and
pressure is applied. A current is generated between the two electrodes,
and the resistance of the metal to the current generates heat that bonds
the two sheets together. This method is also known as
electrical resistance welding.

Assembling the cabinet

5 The slide mechanisms on which the drawers move are usually purchased
from a specialty manufacturer and placed within holders that are bolted
in place within the cabinet. The drawers are then assembled. Some
components, such as the latch or the card label holder, are merely
slipped into pre-cut holes in the steel and clamped into place. Other
parts, such as the handle, are bolted into place.

Quality Control

A file cabinet's most obvious purpose is to store documents, but
another less obvious function is to protect the documents from dust,
water, light, drafts, and, in the case of fireproof file cabinets, fire. A
quality file cabinet will resist rust, drops, and impact. Long, tightly
packed rows of paper can weigh a lot: a full letter size file drawer can
weigh approximately 260 to 310 pounds (120 to 140 kilograms). A properly
built file cabinet can handle these loads. Drawer mechanisms must be in
good working order throughout the lifetime of the file cabinet. The
compressor must keep functioning to hold the papers tightly. The drawers
must not open inadvertently, but they must open smoothly when unlatched
(this requirement usually depends on the slide mechanism being lubricated
twice a year).

One method of testing involves the lengthy life-span of a file cabinet.
The weight needed to open a drawer is determined using a spring scale.
This weight is attached to the door, which is then opened and closed at
least 50,000 times to simulate twenty years of use.

Tolerances and dimensions are also important in making file cabinets,
because, while height, width, and depth dimensions may vary slightly from
manufacturer to manufacturer, the file cabinet must be built to conform to
the standard folder sizes. For easy retrieval, the drawer space for
folders is usually about one centimeter wider than a standard folder.

Fireproof file cabinets have a rating system that indicates the
temperature range within which the documents will remain protected. At
minimum, the documents will be safe at 354 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees
Celsius). Even at 1704 degrees Fahrenheit (927 degrees Celsius), the
documents will be safe for an hour. The ideal climate for documents would
offer temperatures between 68 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit (18-24 degrees
Celsius) with relative humidity of 50 percent.

The Future

The latest trend in file cabinets is their possible disappearance from
computerized offices. Prognosticators of the 1960s and 1970s envisioned
paperless offices in which information would be neatly stored
on—and easily retrievable from—space-saving computer
floppy
disks and databases. However, despite the prevalence of computers, as
recently as 1990, fully 95 percent of all office documents were on paper,
with one million pieces of paper per minute being created in the United
States alone. At the present time, computers often seem to function as
merely another means of generating paper, or hard copies. This familiarity
with and preference for paper documents will, at least in the near future,
necessitate the continued use of filing cabinets.